$25 Million Hoax ends as family gets “prize package worth almost $400,000.”

$25 Million Hoax ends as family gets “prize package worth almost $400,000.” NBC’s $25 Million Dollar Hoax concluded last night, and the contents of NBC’s cheap-ass “giant prize package worth almost $400,000” was revealed. We were, of course, on the edge of our seats waiting to see if a year’s worth of soup would be among the prizes. The bulk of it came in a check for $200,000 for Chrissy’s dad, and a “$100,000 family luxury getaway” in Mexico for the whole clan. The rest of the prizes were mostly opportunities for product placement, and it probably didn’t even cost NBC “almost $400,000,” especially since NBC parent company General Electric provided the kitchen that her mom received. All six of her brothers received Playstation 2s and iPods, while two of her brothers received new computers, two received Gibson guitars and basses, and her oldest brother got a $10,000 Von Dutch shopping spree (what do you want to bet he’d prefer the cash?). Her brother Eric received a home theatre system (and her family got one as well, along with 100 movie rentals), while his girlfriend Holly received a year’s worth of voice lessons. For torturing her family–which of course she did all for them, because, as George Gray said with a straight face, “the whole point of this show was to prove that family matters more than anything”–she will go on a 7-day vacation to Jamaica, her student loans will be paid off, and she also receives a SC 430 Lexus convertible. The lesson: Sell out your family for seven days and they’ll forgive you because they’re better people than you are, and because they got some prizes.

Firefighter Keith Young died from 9/11-related cancer before he could pitch Cup Board Pro on Shark Tank. Immediately after his kids Kaley, Keira, and Christian got an investment from all five sharks, it sold out.

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. More about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.